Winners and losers: Richmond and Essendon's draws for 2015 are examples of financial and football benefits. Photo: Getty Images

Richmond and Essendon's draws for 2015 present two obvious examples.

The Tigers' bean-counters will be delighted by seven Friday night games, the most of any club and up from only four this year. But Richmond might pay a penalty for that on the football front.

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Last season the Tigers had a particularly friendly draw for a team that had finished the regular season fifth, playing just one 2013 finalist twice.

In 2015 Richmond has drawn three finalists twice, and another team in Collingwood whose mid-table grouping perhaps belies its overall ability. The Tigers are also one of only four clubs to cop two lots of consecutive six-day breaks, the bane of coaching panels across the competition.

Essendon, meanwhile, won't be happy with only two Friday night matches in terms of exposure. But the Bombers have, overall, a more manageable fixture than in 2014, with three finalists to be played twice rather than four. And although dealt two road trips to Perth, they have only three more besides. Fair enough for a side that played finals.

Our assessment of the winners and losers from a football perspective takes into account four key factors – the five teams played twice, road trips, the home-versus-interstate-side advantage and consecutive six-day breaks.

And if you accept the handicapping premise of better sides being saddled with tougher fixtures, there's arguably less to grumble about and fewer anomalies than in previous seasons.

Brisbane Lions last season were on the wrong end of such an anomaly, inexplicably being dealt – by our reckoning – the fourth-toughest draw in the competition.

In 2015, in contrast, Brisbane has the equal sixth-friendliest, with North Melbourne the only 2014 finalist it will play twice, no consecutive six-day breaks and road trips for the best part pretty evenly spread.

Another beneficiary is Collingwood. The Magpies, by virtue of their late-season struggles this year, are grouped towards the bottom of the middle cluster of six teams, with Geelong the only top-six team they will play twice. The Pies have no consecutive six-day breaks, only one trip to Perth and 14 games on the MCG.

Who hasn't fared so well? Hawthorn has, by this measurement, the AFL's toughest draw for a third year straight, not that it ever seems to affect the Hawks' performances much.

Then again, though it's marginal, even the Hawks have arguably a better draw than for 2014, when they had to play each of their top-four rivals twice and were the only team to face three six-day breaks in succession. In 2015 it's only two of their top-four rivals twice, one instance of two six-day preparations in a row and only one long-haul road trip.

Geelong might have been a little stiff, too, given the Cats ended up fifth on the post-season ladder. They'll have to negotiate three of the 2014 top four twice, and also have two lots of consecutive six-day breaks.

Then again, Chris Scott's team did finish the home-and-away rounds this year equal on points with top team Sydney.

Wildcards for 2015? Well, if we already expected Greater Western Sydney to improve next year given the natural development of a score of young stars and the addition of a handy pair in Ryan Griffen and Joel Patfull, the Giants' odds might come in again a tad after the release of this document.

I had GWS with only the sixth-best draw of 2014, despite coming off only one victory in 2013. In 2015, I have a side that this year managed to win six games with the third-best draw, faring better in terms of road trips and having to negotiate only one finalist from this season twice.

Not a bad "penalty" for having moved up several rungs from last on the ladder.

But that's the closest you might find to an anomaly in the 2015 fixture.

This is a draw that treats genuine football supporters with the respect they deserve. And at first glance, when it comes to the on-field challenges ahead five months from now, it seems to have treated the clubs pretty decently as well.

Poll

Which AFL club fared best from the 2015 fixture?

Melbourne17%

Western Bulldogs8%

St Kilda7%

West Coast9%

Collingwood39%

Other19%

Total votes: 1287

Poll closed 14 Nov, 2014

Disclaimer: These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.